Profession
Thomas J. Brewer regularly serves as an arbitrator in US and international commercial arbitrations. Previously a trial lawyer representing clients in business cases, he has more than thirty years of experience serving as an arbitrator, court-appointed special master and mediator in a wide variety of commercial cases. Since 2000 he has limited his practice to providing alternative dispute resolution services. He is now in his twenty-fourth year as a full-time neutral.
Arbitration Experience
Mr. Brewer has served as an arbitrator since 1985 in hundreds of commercial arbitrations, and frequently serves as chair of three-arbitrator panels. The cases have ranged from complex, multi-party business disputes with large amounts in controversy to a wide variety of other matters, of varying size, involving corporations, privately-held companies, LLC’s, partnerships, joint ventures, governmental entities and individuals.
Mr. Brewer’s arbitration caseload has been focused mainly on commercial contract disputes; energy, oil & gas and electric power industry disputes; technology and intellectual property cases; and cases involving disputes concerning investors and business co-owners, LLC members, joint operating and joint venture agreements and sale of business matters. He also has substantial experience in arbitrations involving aviation, commercial construction, commercial sports, railroad, satellite and government-related disputes. His arbitration experience also includes numerous commercial health care industry (payor-provider), commercial real estate and commercial lending, insurance coverage and ERISA-based multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability arbitrations.
A detailed C.V. is available here. Specific examples of prior arbitration cases are available here.
Mr. Brewer is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is listed in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration, 2024 and prior years, Best Lawyers in America for arbitration, 2024 and prior years, Chambers USA and Chambers Global for International Arbitration, and Washington Super Lawyers, 2003-2024. He was selected by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year for arbitration in Seattle in 2015, 2017, 2019, and again for 2024.
Roster Memberships
Mr. Brewer is a member of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution’s (“ICDR”) International Roster of arbitrators. He is also a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial, Large Complex Case, Construction and National Healthcare Rosters of arbitrators, and of the AAA’s Energy, Intellectual Property, M&A and Joint Ventures, Aerospace, Aviation and National Security, and ERISA panels of arbitrators. He is also a member of the CPR Institute’s International/Cross-Border, National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, Energy, Oil and Gas, Commercial Real Estate and Health Care & Life Sciences panels of arbitrators. He is also a member of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center’s List of leading arbitrators and mediators in the technology sector. He has served as an arbitrator in cases administered by AAA, ICDR, JAMS, ICC, LCIA, SIAC and under the UNCITRAL, CPR, Society of Maritime Arbitrators and American Association of Railroads rules, and in numerous non-administered cases.
Education
Mr. Brewer received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from the Harvard Law School. He also received a B.A. in jurisprudence from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He is based in the State of Washington, USA.
